madamlb
Oct. 3, 2009, 05:34 PM
Hi there,
I registered honestly mainly to ask a question because COTH readers seem (in general) a knowledgeable and coherent bunch … rare in the horse world!
I have a question about upward fixation of the patella and basically whether to buy a young horse with this problem.
I’m not an impulse buyer, I like to weigh things up carefully but recently (about six weeks ago now) an opportunity arose that forced me to question my previous criteria for any equine purchase.
I was offered a filly- a rising three year old (obviously unbroken) warmblood filly with international grand prix lines from both sire and dam. The offer came from someone I trust- a grand prix rider and boutique breeder I know- and is spurred by the fact that the breeder is moving across the country and with eight horses decided to shift two of her youngsters. I was told straight out that this filly’s price was dramatically reduced due to an intermittently locking patella. The owner/breeder said that she believes the filly will easily grow out of it, and in fact already is, and that it’s mainly due to her rapid growth rate. At first I immediately scoffed at the idea, I didn’t want to buy a horse with an issue when there are so many others out there.
However, I began to think about it more and more. Based on bloodlines this horse is a once in a life time offer, her sire recently died and she is from one of his last foal crops, her full sister recently sold for close to six figures. She herself is a lovely young girl with a gorgeous trot and one of the most uphill canters I’ve ever seen. And here am I, being offered a horse with these lines for such a reduced price. I have done a huge amount of research on the patella issue since then- including reading the COTH archives-, buying and rereading many books, and speaking to basically anyone who will give me the time of day.
What I have discovered is that around 75% of people are positive about it- many of them are people with direct experience with it. My trainer seems to think that- pending vet check- buying the filly would be a great idea and something I am definitely up to, she has had two with upward fixation of the patella/locking stifles and one grew out of it, the other had the splitting surgery standing in her very barn and never had any trouble again. Then I have heard a few stories of horses ultimately having to be retired over it, and even one case of a horse being PTS.
So I put this to you objective people:
Would you ever buy a horse with locking stifles under any circumstances?
The reasons I give myself that it wouldn’t be a terrible idea are these- it is common in young horses especially large young and this filly, at nearly three and 16.1hh, still has a lot of growing to do. I have the time to do lots of hill work with her and get her very fit before I have her broken in, I was thinking once she’s used to going out on trails in hand of ponying her off one of my older, sane horses and getting her doing longer hill sessions that way. I would be very prepared to have the injections or surgery done, but my first avenue would be fitness, joint supplement and perhaps magnesium in her feed and the use of my chiropractic vet. If the worst came to the worst and the horse proved unsound long term I would probably breed one from her (the stifle locking in her in not due to conformation, she really does not seem to have weak stifles) and then maybe sell her on to a breeding program and with her bloodlines I don’t see how I could make a loss there.
I am not necessarily looking to do the high level dressage and jumping she was bred for but would like, down the track, a sound and sane mare who could easily do a trail ride one day and a low level dressage test the next. She has FEI show jumping lines and down the track I would love to see her doing some low/medium level eventing. On the patella issue with jumping, I have heard of many horses jumping competitively and successfully despite stifle locking (or rather post cured stifle locking) but another friend, a knowledgeable person though with no direct experience, told me that she might be too weak in the stifles/have damage that prevents her from jumping. Basically, I’m not looking for my international competition horse (lol) but a youngster I can train up (with plenty of assistance from professionals, obviously) into a nice horse. The seller is someone I do trust, she wants to shift the horse due to her move and the fact that as a GP dressage rider with two other youngsters in training she doesn’t have time to get a ‘special needs’ (my words not hers) horse up to her competition level. My trainers and most of my friends seem to think that pending her vet check and x-rays stacking up this would be a good opportunity for me as a young rider.
BUT I haven’t totally drunk the kool-aid. Some people say never to buy a horse with this issue- even though apparently she’s growing out of it already- and that it can mean long term unsoundness. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the situation. I’m still up in the air. At this point everything is pending vet check. I’d love it to work out and I know I’d love the challenge, but if the vet says that it’s going to be a big issue or if I hear enough terrible stories and warnings I don’t have any qualms backing out. Reading over it, this post is obviously coloured by the fact I would like this horse to work out. So please be as brutal as you like with it, if I sound insane tell me, or conversely if you think that it doesn’t sound ludicrous (again, pending vet check) let me know.
Thanks!
ETA: Just seen title and I promise I do actually know how to spell 'patella' stupid not editable typos!
I registered honestly mainly to ask a question because COTH readers seem (in general) a knowledgeable and coherent bunch … rare in the horse world!
I have a question about upward fixation of the patella and basically whether to buy a young horse with this problem.
I’m not an impulse buyer, I like to weigh things up carefully but recently (about six weeks ago now) an opportunity arose that forced me to question my previous criteria for any equine purchase.
I was offered a filly- a rising three year old (obviously unbroken) warmblood filly with international grand prix lines from both sire and dam. The offer came from someone I trust- a grand prix rider and boutique breeder I know- and is spurred by the fact that the breeder is moving across the country and with eight horses decided to shift two of her youngsters. I was told straight out that this filly’s price was dramatically reduced due to an intermittently locking patella. The owner/breeder said that she believes the filly will easily grow out of it, and in fact already is, and that it’s mainly due to her rapid growth rate. At first I immediately scoffed at the idea, I didn’t want to buy a horse with an issue when there are so many others out there.
However, I began to think about it more and more. Based on bloodlines this horse is a once in a life time offer, her sire recently died and she is from one of his last foal crops, her full sister recently sold for close to six figures. She herself is a lovely young girl with a gorgeous trot and one of the most uphill canters I’ve ever seen. And here am I, being offered a horse with these lines for such a reduced price. I have done a huge amount of research on the patella issue since then- including reading the COTH archives-, buying and rereading many books, and speaking to basically anyone who will give me the time of day.
What I have discovered is that around 75% of people are positive about it- many of them are people with direct experience with it. My trainer seems to think that- pending vet check- buying the filly would be a great idea and something I am definitely up to, she has had two with upward fixation of the patella/locking stifles and one grew out of it, the other had the splitting surgery standing in her very barn and never had any trouble again. Then I have heard a few stories of horses ultimately having to be retired over it, and even one case of a horse being PTS.
So I put this to you objective people:
Would you ever buy a horse with locking stifles under any circumstances?
The reasons I give myself that it wouldn’t be a terrible idea are these- it is common in young horses especially large young and this filly, at nearly three and 16.1hh, still has a lot of growing to do. I have the time to do lots of hill work with her and get her very fit before I have her broken in, I was thinking once she’s used to going out on trails in hand of ponying her off one of my older, sane horses and getting her doing longer hill sessions that way. I would be very prepared to have the injections or surgery done, but my first avenue would be fitness, joint supplement and perhaps magnesium in her feed and the use of my chiropractic vet. If the worst came to the worst and the horse proved unsound long term I would probably breed one from her (the stifle locking in her in not due to conformation, she really does not seem to have weak stifles) and then maybe sell her on to a breeding program and with her bloodlines I don’t see how I could make a loss there.
I am not necessarily looking to do the high level dressage and jumping she was bred for but would like, down the track, a sound and sane mare who could easily do a trail ride one day and a low level dressage test the next. She has FEI show jumping lines and down the track I would love to see her doing some low/medium level eventing. On the patella issue with jumping, I have heard of many horses jumping competitively and successfully despite stifle locking (or rather post cured stifle locking) but another friend, a knowledgeable person though with no direct experience, told me that she might be too weak in the stifles/have damage that prevents her from jumping. Basically, I’m not looking for my international competition horse (lol) but a youngster I can train up (with plenty of assistance from professionals, obviously) into a nice horse. The seller is someone I do trust, she wants to shift the horse due to her move and the fact that as a GP dressage rider with two other youngsters in training she doesn’t have time to get a ‘special needs’ (my words not hers) horse up to her competition level. My trainers and most of my friends seem to think that pending her vet check and x-rays stacking up this would be a good opportunity for me as a young rider.
BUT I haven’t totally drunk the kool-aid. Some people say never to buy a horse with this issue- even though apparently she’s growing out of it already- and that it can mean long term unsoundness. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the situation. I’m still up in the air. At this point everything is pending vet check. I’d love it to work out and I know I’d love the challenge, but if the vet says that it’s going to be a big issue or if I hear enough terrible stories and warnings I don’t have any qualms backing out. Reading over it, this post is obviously coloured by the fact I would like this horse to work out. So please be as brutal as you like with it, if I sound insane tell me, or conversely if you think that it doesn’t sound ludicrous (again, pending vet check) let me know.
Thanks!
ETA: Just seen title and I promise I do actually know how to spell 'patella' stupid not editable typos!